Explores reasons for the current ineffectiveness of moral education and offers an alternative perspective on the proper purpose and methods for moral education. This ideal moral education is based primarily on the belief that social interactions during childhood are highly significant in the development of morality and on the functionalist…

Explores the idea that human development should be the aim of education through discussion of the philosophies of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Alfred North Whitehead. A four stage teaching model that combines subject matter with developmental goals is presented. (Author/DB)

Reviews research on the effect of school climate on the social development of early adolescents and on three curricular programs (values clarification, moral development, and cooperative learning). Concludes that schools can positively influence socio-moral development through non-traditional schooling, i.e., open and democratic environments,…

Provides an overview of British educational policy concerning moral education. Discusses the development of goals and standards, and problems with implementing these across the educational system. Describes some general goals and approaches around which a moral education curriculum could be built. (MJP)

Defines moral education as an education in morality. Identifies morality as a particular way of life that has its own logic and reason. Recommends looking anew at fundamental concepts of moral education and building approaches and methods out of these new perspectives. Discusses overcoming resistance to this approach. (MJP)

Four theoretical approaches to moral/citizenship education are described and compared. Positive and negative aspects of the cognitive-decision, developmental, prosocial, and values approaches are discussed and ways of relating the four approaches to each other are suggested. The first approach, cognitive-decision, is distinctive for its…

Analyzes and critiques several theoretical assumptions concerning moral education. Maintains that current theoretical approaches contain such a broad variation that they lack practical application. The singular focus on individuals and their interactions presents another problem. Advocates reformulating theoretical concepts to address these…

Outlines 11 principles to guide schools as they plan their character education programs. These include a definition of character, developing the school as a caring community, a comprehensive and intentional approach to developing good character, and the relationship between character education and the academic curriculum. (MJP)

Defines moral education as the attempt to create individuals who are willing and able to treat each other as equals and feel compassion towards one another. Considers the contributions of psychotherapy concerning the potential of autonomous individual development to enact social change. (MJP)

Reports on the results of 180 questionnaires given to public school teachers and 26 structured follow-up interviews on how teachers view themselves as moral educators. Found that teachers' individual moralities shaped the choices they made. Discovered that, although reluctant to teach values directly, teachers feel a commitment to share their…

Asserts that half of the general educational objectives established by the Portuguese parliament are related to issues of social justice and moral education. Maintains that school textbooks do not reflect these goals and perpetuate stereotypes about women, social classes, and other cultures. (CFR)

Recommends broadening the scope of evaluation in moral education. Argues that past research has relied too heavily on indirect evidence (for example, gains in moral reasoning) rather than changes in behavior. Recommends further emphasis on the relationships among self-control, social control, and moral education. (MJP)

Contends that traditional moral education's lack of critical perspective has resulted in its unwitting perpetuation of the status quo. Proposes adopting a critical postmodern approach addressing the fundamental interrelationship between language and power. Recommends sharing knowledge, power, and ideas between teachers and students. (MJP)

The purpose of this module is to introduce students (grades 7-8) to the concept of change as reflected in changes of lifestyle. The module is comprised of three major sections. Section 1 examines family roles in earlier Amerindian society (low technology) and society today (high technology). Section 2 examines the role and purpose of education,…

"Technology and Changing Lifestyles" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program incorporating information from the sciences and social sciences and addressing societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes…